Above Photo: Students at St. Ignace Elementary School receive a check from The St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce for their efforts in an October fundraiser for a school in Louisiana. The money will be used to help Florida Avenue Elementary School, a school damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Pictured are (from left) Elizabeth Brown of the St. Ignace Business Association, Samantha Gugin, Spencer Crystal, Brady Kammers, Colton McDaniel, and teacher Laura Janeczek. Autumn’s student pumpkin contest collected $565.95 and was given to area schools Tuesday, December 20, by the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce. In turn, Gros Cap School and St. Ignace Area Schools will donate the money to Florida Avenue Elementary in Slidell, Louisiana, which was hit by Hurricane Katrina.

Floods destroyed supplies and equipment at the Louisiana school, and the students adopted it as a sister school and raised funds to help their fellow students. They did so by decorating pumpkins donated by the Chamber and placing them next to donation jars at 17 area businesses. Each donated penny counted as one vote for the best decorated pumpkin.

Gros Cap students assisted in a pumpkin contest to raise funds for a school in Luisiana, damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Pictured are (front row, from left) Tayler Schnicke, Heather Ryan, Steve Seccia, Thomas Pudenz, Ben Doran, James Cryderman, Gabe Boynton, and Noah Hart; (back row) Elizabeth Brown of the St. Ignace Business Association, Louis Radecki, Michaela Cope, Andrew Pudenz, Molly Sposito, and teacher Kari Marshall. Mary Cullen’s kindergarten class at Gros Cap School won the contest.